


A Different Similarity

by Hardykat



Category: 30 Seconds to Mars, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-30
Updated: 2013-09-29
Packaged: 2017-12-28 00:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/985641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hardykat/pseuds/Hardykat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're from different areas of entertainment, but Jared Leto and Matt Hardy must deal with the fleeting admiration of their fans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Voices of Unrest

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Story idea is mine. Matt Hardy belongs to himself. Jared Leto belongs to Virgin Records, his agents, and himself.
> 
> The story was written in 2007. Matt Hardy was still with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). 30 Seconds to Mars was touring. "A Beautiful Lie." was the current album out. 
> 
> The quotes used in chapter 1 are actual message boards posts from the now defunct messages boards of thehardyshow, therealmatthardy and Mars Board.

**The Voices of Unrest**

**_www.30secondstomars.com_ **

**_www.thehardyshow.com_ **

****

**_LOGIN:THIRTYSECONDSTOMARS_ **

**_PASSWORD:*******_ **

****

**_LOGIN:The_Matt_Hardy_ **

**_PASSWORD:******_ **

****

*click*

*scroll*

 

_"The Echelon is already dead, sorry."_

_" I was actually finding myself booing the hell out of Matt while watching Smackdown last night. First time I've ever booed him. I think that after reading all of this crap that Matt seems like an asshole. He'll never get over what Adam did to him, but he'll get over Amy doing it. She was just as big of a part as Adam was. Personally I think he's an immature ass. Everyone makes mistakes. Sure he was hurt, big whoop. It happens. As for the show, I have seen half of one episode, and it's the dumbest shit I've ever seen. They claim it's the greatest show not on TV. Yeah right. I've seen much better. Someone needs to hit Matt in the head with a chair hard enough to make him think like a fucking human not like a moron "_

*click*

*scroll*

 

_"This is where the problem actually starts. I get the feeling, lately, that the fans and/or Echelon give each other something to believe in. The reason why so many people think or fear that the Echelon is dead, is caused by the band's behaviour that, apparently, has changed. May it be fame that caused it or whatever - I haven't had the chance to judge that since I have yet to see them live, but a lot of other people, even "older followers" have pointed out that they're a tad disappointed lately, either here on the boards or somewhere else."_

_"He's the one who worked his fans and created a split. He's the one who employed stalkers and incompetents as moderators and admin. He's the one who made it acceptable to laugh at other fans (the whole Scarlet thing anyone?). If Hardy fans have a reputation for being batshit, he's to blame. "_

*scroll*

*click*

_"Last I heard, the Echelon had been shot in the fucking dome multiple times. Not by means of a gun, no. But the incompetence and suffocation of fanboys/fangirls world wide."_

_" Matt Hardy continues to not give a fuck about his fans and nothing will change that. The whole 'Tammy' thing proves that. If he ain't getting money out of you then you ain't on his radar and there is nothing that will ever change that. Even if you do, he reserves the right to rip the fuck out of you at any time. Now there's nothing wrong with him snarking his fans, hell we do it to him all the time, but there's a certain classlessness to thrusting it in their faces. We'd get banned for snarking him on his own board for fuck's sake."_

Back click.

*click*

*scroll*

 

**_www.therealmatthardy.com_ **

**_LOGIN:GUEST_ **

_"Dear Matt_  
  
You're an asshole of the highest order. Now I don't like Tammy, and I think what was said about her is pretty much true, but for fuck's sake how stupid can you be? You've just proved that you don't give a shit, how about being honest for a change?  
  
I can't believe it's actually come to this, but Matt, you've lost a fan. I've stayed with you for a fuck of a long time, but I've had enough. Maybe Darren's spoiled me, but I've seen how fans really should be treated, and you've never done it.  
  
Go fuck yourself with a lead pipe

_No Love,_

_A Former MF’er"_

_"30 Seconds to Mars are not decent musicians any longer. For all the faults and live stuff I have seen this past year, with backing tracks, fuck ups, and backing drums I do not call them musicians anymore."_

“……the hell?”

 

_"TMH was simply better because the mods were just like us, meaning they acted like real people... If 2 people had beef they worked it out and it was peacefully squashed.... Oh how I long for the good old days of my having to bite my fucking tongue and watch my back because of the cliques that exist... I wish we were all one big clique just like back in the day....”_

_“Next rant. THS. Fuckwit central. Andrew has found god and all is right with the world? O RLY? Have people been refunded? Is picture quality back to normal? Can I get a guarantee that I won't get ripped off? NO.”_

_"Other than a few songs on ABL, the album is nothing more than a coaster."_

_"Dysfunctional family of retards adoring Jared like he is the next greatest thing since sliced bread, buying his CDs, making stupid buttons and posters of the band and Jared's face, traveling cross country to see ALL shows, and god forbid they miss one and they feel like shit about it, since 30stm aren't nearly making enough money off you."_

  


“….what the fuck?”

 


	2. Dance of Uncertainty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see Chapter 1 for notes.

**Dance of Uncertainty**

Two events in one night: SmackDown at Philips Arena and 30 Seconds to Mars at the Tabernacle. Atlanta is a very busy town with fans of both events jam packing their venues. Both had fans very eager to meet their respective favorites. Wrestling. Music. Different genres. Both amaze and capture. Both send adrenaline pumping through the system.

**_"Can I have your autograph?"_ **

"Sorry I can't stay. I have to go."

**_"Please? Just a couple of seconds."_ **

"Seconds are all I have. I'm really sorry."

**_"I've waited a long time to meet you."_ **

"I know you have. I'm sorry. Maybe next time"

**_"When will you be back?"_ **

"Check my website often. I love you guys!"

**_"Whatever! You suck!"_ **

"......."

Both ask the same question: _Did I really sell out?_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A break! Finally! His moment of peace. To disconnect and reflect. Tonight was good.  No, tonight was great! Voices rang out to the masses. Bodies performed athletic feats. The crowds were cheering his name over and over. Doing what he loves. Doing what they love. Do they love it? We all strive to be the best at whatever our chosen skill. We all want to reach that next level of perfection. But what if that next level causes him to lose touch with himself? What if he loses touch with the people that he’s trying to reach? The fans…loyal, yet slowly one by one are becoming disenchanted. Should he care? They put him on this unobtainable pedestal. They wanted him there so why are they turning their backs now? He’s on top now; does he need them as much?

As all these questions threaten to collide, he sees them.

Pools of vintage mahogany. Strong yet look closely, you’ll see its weathered faults….

Blue Ice, which at first looks unforgiving. Touch it and it ripples like ocean water…

A brief study follows by a smile. Yes! Someone understands him!


	3. Late Night Conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see Chapter 1 for notes.

**Late Night Conversation**

            Matt pushes the laptop away then lets out a frustrated sigh. He appreciates his fans, but they just don’t get it. They just don’t.

            He closes his eyes then counts to ten. When he opens them, he’s looking into the ocean. An arctic ocean at that! He blinks and it blinks back.  That’s when he realizes that it wasn’t an ocean but a pair of striking blue eyes. And that these blue eyes held the same frustration his did. Finally someone understands where he’s coming from.

“Are we going to stare at one another all night?”

            Jared blinks his eyes a couple of times to break the magic. He smiles a little as a light touch of red decorates his cheeks. He didn’t mean to stare.

            “Sorry.” He says with a smirk. “Long night.  Looks like you had a long night too.”

            Matt chuckles. His right hand reaches up to lightly tap the bandaged cut above his right eyebrow.

            “They’re just a part of my job.”

            Jared slides off the stool then walks over to the booth that Matt occupies.

            “Mind if I join you?” he asks. “It just seems awkward to yell across a half empty restaurant.”

            Matt says sure, so Jared slides into booth opposite him. He pushes back some of his red tipped raven strands.

            “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.” He says glancing at the laptop.

            “Nope.” Matt responds as he closes it down. “Believe me, the hate mail can wait.”

            Jared raises an eyebrow in intrigue. “Hate mail.”

            “Yeah.”

            Matt does a slow scan of his guest. Kind of reminds him of his brother Jeff with the colored hair and nail polish. The eyeliner is a bit much for him though. Not to mention the guy looks too…pretty to be a GUY! Didn’t they say the same thing about Jeff?

            “I must be very captivating.”

            Matt blinks as the fog of deep thought fades away. “Huh?”

            “I asked about your hate mail.” Jared reiterates.

            “Oh shi…” It’s Matt’s time to blush. He sits up straight in his seat. “Yeah. I was checking out my message board. Seems a few of my fans are kinda disgruntled about some of the choices I’ve made.”

            “Sounds like some of ours.” Jared says. “Hope those disgruntled fans aren’t the cause of that cut.”

            “No.” Matt chuckles. “I got this in the ring. I had a match tonight.”

            Jared had heard someone mention that there was another event in town at the same time as the concert.

            “You’re some kind of fighter?”

            “Pro wrestler. I work for the WWE.”

            “Oooooh.”

            Thought pro wrestling was fake, Jared muses. He studies Matt’s face again. He doesn’t look like any of the wrestlers he remembers seeing as a kid. Not that he was into that stuff.

            Matt snaps his fingers to get the frontman’s attention. “Yo, you daydreaming about me over there?” he adds with a smirk.

            Jared blinks. He then realizes that he had zoned out. A nervous laugh followed by shuffling.

            Matt smirks. “I asked what did you do to make people hate you.”

            “Create a band and play music.”

            “The normal things in life tend to get you in the most trouble, don’t they?” Matt says. “Being at the front of the line ain’t easy. For every one person that loves you, they’re 10 that hate you. And with the ones that love you, you gotta keep them happy or they’ll call you a sellout or backstabber.”

            A sneer forms on the rocker’s face after hearing the word “sellout”.  He’s seen that word associated with his name many times. Far too many for his liking.

            “Sellout.”  A cynical snort. “They have no idea.”

            “Not one fucking clue.”

            A moment of silence follows, each man caught in his own world of unappriciation.

            “We’re born to evolve.” Jared’s voice breaks the quiet. His eyes are transfixed on the window, actually what’s outside. A couple of girls. One is wearing a Mars hoodie. “Evolve to be better than the predecessor. If we stay stagnant, the human race would just wither away and die.”

            Matt raises an eyebrow. What the hell is this guy talking about?

            “Sorry..what?”

            Jared chuckles. He glances over to his confused guest. The guy had his head knocked around earlier. Thought provoking quotes are being unusually cruel right now.

            “What I was saying is some fans forget that we’re human. They put us on these pedestals and expect us to be ageless. Okay, what’s your defining moment? What was it that made some of your fans second guess you?”

            “Oh that one’s easy.” Matt responds with a slight eye roll. “When I went back to the WWE.  I never wanted to leave. They forced me out. All because no one wanted to chance me killing their ‘golden boy’ Adam Copeland.”

            A gleam of hate shows in this eyes as he remembers how his ex-best friend broke his trust.

            “And now I’m the one not trustworthy. The just don’t get it. I couldn’t tell them. Once I resigned, my hands were tied. I had to continue with my hate. I still can’t stand Copeland. I just tolerate his skinny ass to get by. But dammit it still burns me sometimes how he ended up looking innocent in all off this.”

            “What did this Copeland guy do to you that was so bad- if you don’t mind my asking?”

            “He fucked my girlfriend. He was supposed to be my friend. He and my girl both stabbed me in back.”

            “Ouch!”

            “Yeah. I blasted them both on my message board. And that’s how I got fired. It may have not been the smartest thing to do, but at the time, I didn’t care! I was intent on hurting them like they did me.”

            He had to count to ten and control his breathing to calm down. It’s been 2 years and it still bothers him!

            Jared sits back in his seat then looks away. It’s more than obvious that he touched a sore nerve. As long as the guy didn’t completely wig out on him, they should be able to carry on a decent conversation.

            “What about you?’ Matt’s voice catches Jared’s attention. “What’s your ‘defining moment’”

            “How about we begin with ‘My So Called Life’ ”.

            “Whoa, buddy.” Matt cuts in. “That’s too far back”

            Jared has to laugh. “No, dude. ‘My So Called Life’ was a show that I was on. It irks me how people use that as an excuse to disrespect the band. We’ve worked our asses off to prove our music worth. The music isn’t just a hobby. My tombstone isn’t going to say: Here Lies Jared Leto. A Fucking Musician Wannabe.” 

            Jared Leto…Matt remembers hearing that name somewhere. Ashley! Oh now it makes sense. The band he was talking about…what was the name? 30 Seconds to something. A planet..saturn, Jupiter…MARS. 30 Seconds to Mars! He was looking at the frontman of one of Ashley’s favorite bands. He chuckles to himself. She would have loved being here right now. Jared frowns in annoyance. He’s venting and this douche is laughing? What the hell!

            “Hold on…Jared right?” Matt corrects himself when he sees the look of death coming from him. “I’m not laughing at you. When you said your name, I was thinking about how a friend of mine would have loved to be here right now.”

            Jared grins. “I don’t think they would want to hear my woes.”

            “You could be reciting the Gettysburg Address as long as she got to hang out with you.”

            “I see….hey I didn’t catch your name. We must have been so into our conversation, we forgot the introduction.”

            “Looks that way. I’m Matt. Matt Hardy.”

            A hand shake offering. “Nice meeting you, Matt Hardy. So you have some type of special wrestler name you use in the ring?”

            “Nope. Just Matt Hardy.”

            “Ah.”

            “As you were saying?”

            A clearing of the throat. “Yes. I give every bit of credit to the fans. Without them helping to promote the hell out of us, 30 Seconds to Mars-and I know this for a fact- would have been written off a fucking joke no matter how good we sounded. It’s now becoming a game of ‘You owe me’.”

            “Fans are like heaven and hell all rolled up into one.” Matt says. “Half the time, we’re not the one making the changes, but because our face is out there, we’re getting chewed out.”

            “A goddammed Catch 22 cliché.” Jared adds.

            Two ring tones sound off at the same time. Both men check their caller screens.

            “My brother.” They say in unison. Both smile before answering.

            “Hey Jeffro. What’s up?”

            “What’s up, Shan?”

            “In the café downstairs. Why?”

            “Downstairs café.”

            “….he’s in a band huh?”

            A look at Jared.

            “…..he’s a wrestler and he makes his own music?”

            A look at Matt. Knowing grins.

            “I’ll see you in a few.”

            “Okay give me a few.”

            “Bye.”

            “Later.”

            End call.

            “Looks like-“

            “-our brothers found one another.” Jared finishes Matt’s sentence.

            “Is he your older or younger brother?” Matt asks.

            “Older. Yours?”

            “Younger.”

            “Guess we better not keep them waiting.”

            Matt and Jared leave the café to meet with their brothers. Maybe they’re not so much different after all.

 

 

**THE END**


End file.
